Donation establishes $1.2 M in scholarships at A&M-Corpus Christi

Endowment to fund about $60,000 a year for students

CORPUS CHRISTI - Late businesswoman Jeannette Holloway, the city's second female certified public accountant, was known for her philanthropy and interest in helping others, including college students.

The 1954 University of Corpus Christi alumna died in 2007, but the legacy she started can live on through a $1.2 million scholarship endowment established Thursday at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, friends and colleagues said.

The Estill Foundation presented university officials Thursday with a check to create the Holloway/Estill Foundation Scholarship Endowment for undergraduate students.

It is the university's second-largest scholarship endowment, university President Flavius Killebrew said, behind only the $5 million Lawrence Atkins Scholarship Endowment.

Estill Foundation board member Dick King said Holloway preferred to help others from behind the scenes.

"She did so much stuff no one will know about," he said.

Holloway and the foundation started giving 15 to 20 scholarships a year in 2002.

"She didn't brag ... she just did it," he said. "That was Mrs. Holloway."

Carissa Goald, 26, received scholarships from Holloway and the foundation from 2002 to 2006, when she graduated with a bachelor's degree in education at A&M-Corpus Christi.

Goald, now an eighth-grade math teacher in the Robstown Independent School District, said Holloway took an interest in each scholarship recipient. The businesswoman would eat meals with students and talk with them about school and their goals.

"She took us under her wing," Goald said. "She took care of us."

The new scholarships could be awarded as soon as fall 2011, he said.

Student recipients will receive a $1,500 scholarship each semester, officials said. About 15 to 20 students a year are expected to receive the scholarships.

Killebrew said the university considers establishing endowments a fundraising priority, especially as university officials expect to reach an enrollment of 10,000 students this semester.

"As we continue to grow, the need for scholarships continues to grow," he said.

Officials said as of Thursday, more than 10,000 students were registered for fall classes. An official enrollment total will be finalized in mid- to late September.